Bangalore, July 18 - With the choked roads of India's silicon hub testing the nerves of motorists and polluting the air, a group of residents is urging Bangaloreans to take to cycling in a big way.

'We want to make cycles a popular mode of transport,' proclaims The Ride A Cycle Foundation (RACF).

'Our main aim is to create awareness among the city's denizens about the virtues of using cycles as a mode of transport,' Ravi Ranjan Kumar, managing trustee of the foundation, told IANS.

Cycling would not only improve the health of the cyclists but would also cut down air pollution, experts say.

A not-for-profit advocacy organisation, the foundation, set up Nov 18, 2008, periodically organises cycling events.

Some of the successful events organised by the foundation till date are 'Tour of Nilgiris 2008', a seven-day, 919 km ride to the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu through Karnataka and Kerala; Bangalore Cycling Workshop and BSA Hercules Duathlon 2009.

As part of its drive, the foundation recently donated 12 bicycles to students of Bangalore's Deeksha pre-university college.

'We want to make Bangaloreans realise the value of cycling and thereby make them understand the need of an uncontaminated environment. By practising cycling religiously, people will maintain a healthy lifestyle also,' said Sharath Raju, secretary of the foundation.

To encourage techies to pedal, the foundation plans to provide cycles on rent.